Holdout:One that withholds agreement or consent upon which progress is contingent.

The Kings have had a fantastically productive offseason. They added the second line center that they’ve always needed. They added the left wing sniper they’ve needed since Luc Robitaille left. They added more veteran leadership to provide depth, and hopefully help the Kings navigate their way through a deep playoff run. They have one of the elite, young defens… wait, nevermind.

Say hello to Los Angeles’ worst nightmare.

One of the very few players the Kings have no replacement for isn’t going to be LA when the team opens training camp early Friday morning. In fact, earlier this week, members of the Kings were already participating in informal practices as training camp approached. Mike Richards was making cross-crease passes to Simon Gagne. Ethan Moreau was on the ice forming new bonds with new teammates. Anze Kopitar was starting pick-up games and showing no negative effects of his season-ending ankle injury. There’s only one who’s missing.

This isn’t exactly how the team hoped to start one of the most captivating seasons in franchise history.

“Doughty’s value is difficult to pin down. He has shown he’s a singular talent, with a second-year performance in which he earned an Olympic gold medal, and was a finalist for the Norris trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. But he reported to camp in less than optimal shape a year ago, suffered a concussion early in the season and needed a while to regain his timing. Defensemen with his skills and skating ability are rare, but the Kings have to factor in how he fits in their salary scale.

They also have to project what might happen if he remains unsigned and how it would affect the team in the locker room and on the ice. Doughty is a vital presence in the room besides being a dynamic player, and it wouldn’t be easy for the Kings to replace him.”

Here’s a refresher for anyone who hasn’t been following the contract negotiations: the only concrete offer that has been reported was a 9-year contract worth $6.8 million per season extended by the Los Angeles Kings. It was a deal that was not accepted by the Doughty’s camp.

The importance of the $6.8 million cap hit can’t be overstated—it’s the same average salary attached to Anze Kopitar’s 7-year deal that he signed in 2009. The Kings have built their salary structure with Kopitar as the highest paid player on the team; something the Doughty camp is challenging. Then again, people around the organization will debate whether Kopitar or Doughty is more important to the team. Hence the desire for an identical average salary.

Factoring in potential, the increased salary cap, and the climate for defenseman contracts, it’s understandable that Doughty is looking for a higher salary. Like Elliott illustrates, there is no comparable player around the league today. Shea Weber is working on his third contract, Duncan Keith signed a 13-year contract, and Zach Bogosian isn’t in Doughty’s league. There is no map to follow here.

Another important factor within the context of the negotiations is that Doughty is seemingly unwilling to part with his unrestricted contract years. He’s a restricted free agent for the next four seasons—anything beyond that would prolong the time before he’s eligible to hit the open market. It’s understandable that the Kings want to sign him for a longer-term deal (in the 7-9 year range) to eat up as many of the unrestricted years as possible. Yet from Doughty’s point of view, it’s understandable that he doesn’t want to go past five seasons.

Every summer there’s an offseason story that just won’t go away. Last season it was Ilya Kovalchuk and next season it will probably be a power struggle over a new collective bargaining agreement. But this year? This is the year of the Drew Doughty contract talks. It’s only a week until the Kings open their training camp and with each passing day, it looks like camp will start without the talented 21-year-old under contract. Just a hunch, but this probably isn’t how the organization wanted to spend their last few days of the offseason as they look to contend in the West this season.

For the first time in months, there has been an update on the negotiations with concrete numbers—outlining an offer with both a specific dollar amount and years for a potential contract. Respected NHL insider Nick Kypreos from Sports Net sent out this message late Thursday afternoon:

“Where does LA go next after Doughty rejects multi offers including 9 yrs/61.2M. The 6.8 aav would have matched Kopitar’s as Kings highest”

Presumably, the 9-year term is the Kings’ idea. A deal of that nature would take Doughty until he was 30-years-old and would eat up four of his unrestricted free agent years. On the flip side, there have been rumors that the Doughty camp is looking for a 5-year deal that would take him right up to unrestricted free agency.

Pro Hockey Talk reached out to Don Meehan at Newport Sports, but he preferred to not make any comment at this time.

On the financial side of the deal, the $6.8 million cap hit would equal Anze Kopitar’s team-high average salary. Like Doughty, Kopitar thrived from the moment he stepped foot onto NHL ice and earned a hefty raise before proving himself with a “second contract.” Regardless of any other specifics within the negotiations, LA Times writer Helene Elliott is reporting that “it doesn’t appear that an agreement is imminent.”

Doughty was the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 Draft—the highest defensemen picked in a deep defensive draft. In 2010, he burst onto the international stage when he made the Canadian Olympic team and thrived in Vancouver. At the end of the season, he was the second youngest Norris Trophy finalist. After his second season, at the tender age of 20, he looked to be on the fast-track to superstardom.

But something happened on the way to becoming the next Raymond Bourque. Doughty started the 2010-11 season slowly and suffered a concussion at the beginning of the season. It took about half the season before he finally found his stride—yet his year-end statistics were a far cry from the numbers he had posted the previous season.

Here in lies the dilemma from the Kings perspective. Do they play Doughty like the superstar that he was in 2009-10? Or do the pay him like the star he was in 2010-11. Even in a down year, Doughty was clearly the best defenseman on a team loaded with plenty of talent on the blueline. He plays against some of the toughest competition on a nightly basis, kills penalties, and still lead the defensive corps in points per game. He did all of that in an “off year.”

The fact remains that while he was the Kings best defender last season, he was one of the league’s best defenders the previous season. If he were to make $6.8m – $7m next season, he’d be in the Joe Thornton/Jarome Iginla/Zdeno Chara stratosphere of salaries. Not only are those players leaders of their individual teams (each is a captain), but those are all major award winners. Iginla’s won an Art Ross and a couple of Rocket Richard Trophies. Thornton’s won a Hart and Chara’s won a Norris. They’ve proven over time that they are elite players.

Everyone assumes that Doughty will be an elite NHLer for years to come—but he hasn’t proven it over time. Yet.

Eventually this story will come to an end with Doughty signing with the Kings. He’s a restricted free agent and the Kings desperately need him if they want to get to where they want to go this season. The sooner the deal is done—the better for all parties involved. But make no mistake: the specifics of the deal will have ramifications for the next 10-15 years.

If the Kings can find a way to lock him up to an extended contract, they’ll have their young core securely in place for the foreseeable future. If he signs a two or three year contract, the Kings will be able to negotiate with the young defender as he would set up for the big payday that would dictate the rest of his career.

But if Doughty signs a five-year contact, just about every GM in the league will start putting their pennies in their piggy bank for a spending spree in 2016. A 27-year-old, unrestricted free agent elite defenseman? It would make the Brad Richards sweepstakes look like child’s play.

Brad Marchand was one of the Bruins’ playoff heroes last season as they rode great goaltending and timely scoring all the way to the Stanley Cup. Marchand scored 21 goals and 20 assists in the regular season as one of the more surprising rookies to burst onto the scene throughout the course of the 2010-11 season. The timing couldn’t have been better for the Halifax, Nova Scotia native as it just happened to be the last year of his entry-level contract. Needless to say, he was looking at a sizeable raise from his first contract that paid him $821,667 per season (cap hit). But how big would the raise be?

As the vast majority of free agents have signed on the dotted line (both restricted and unrestricted), Marchand and the Bruins have been unable to come to an agreement to put the 5’9” pest back in a Bruins uniform. CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty tracked down Marchand’s agent, Wade Arnott, to get an update on the contract negotiations.

“Discussions with the Bruins remain open and ongoing regarding Brad, but nothing is imminent.”

(snip)

“[I’m] hopeful, but it’s no sure thing,” said Arnott, casting the slightest shed of doubt that Marchand’s signing is an automatic.

The Bruins former 3rd round pick has modest career totals: 21 goals and 21 assists in 97 career games. But during the playoffs last season, he made sure fans outside of the Boston area took note. By the time all was said and done, he was second in playoff goal scoring (11) and 6th in playoff points with 19. It all adds up to a significant raise.

“Indications are that the Bruins are looking to sign Marchand for a two-year deal in the $2.5 million per season neighborhood that would keep the B’s rabble-rouser a restricted free agent under Boston’s control at the end of his next deal.

Restricted free agent Teddy Purcell busted out for 51 points during the regular season and 17 points in the playoffs, and resigned with the Lightning for two years and $4.72 million, which amounts to $2.36 million per season. That’s the closest comparable contract for Marchand given his age, accomplishments and classification as a free agent.

But it also makes perfect sense that Marchand and Co. are pushing for something in the four-year, $12 million range, and a contract that would set him up for unrestricted free agency once his deal has expired.”

Obviously, the Bruins will weigh both term and dollars when negotiating Marchand’s next contract. One of the difficult facets of the negotiation process is the Bruins only have one full season to measure their player—yet must make a longer-term commitment based on the single season. Is he the player who only scored a single point in his first stint with the Bruins in 2009-10? Is the player who scored 41 points in 77 games throughout the 2010-11? Or is he the player who had 11 goals in the playoffs and was one of the offensive leaders for the Stanley Cup champions.

All examples fetch far different contracts on the open market. It’s safe to assume that Marchand will want to be paid like the playoff hero that he was in May and June. Then again, it’s easy to see why the Bruins may be hesitant to offer a long-term contract based on an impressive 25-game stretch—albeit the most important 25-game stretch for Boston hockey in four decades.

Judging by Arnott’s comments, the two sides still have plenty of work to do before the see eye-to-eye on Marchand’s worth.